Sweet Potatoes Caribbean Style

Excepted from Hoppin' John's Lowcountry Cooking by John Martin Taylor (Paperback, Houghton Mifflin, 2000). Copyright 2000 by John Martin Taylor.

This is another of those country recipes that sing of the Lowcountry and the West Indian influences here. It is to be played with, not taken seriously, served with dinner or afterward with whipped cream, and enjoyed in the laid-back style of the subtropics. A similar recipe, without the banana, is called "Likker Pudding" in the 1950 Charleston Receipts.

• 2 sweet potatoes, about 1 1/4 pounds, cooked, peeled, and sieved
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups loosely packed grated fresh coconut
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 ripe banana, riced
• 1/4 cup dark rum or bourbon
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• Spices to taste

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix all of the ingredients together and bake for about 45 minutes, until the pudding is set.

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